ILLINOIS CROPS
WHEAT: The Illinois wheat yield for the 2011 crop is estimated to average 61 bushels per acre, based on the July 1 surveys, down one bushel per acre from the June forecast. Total production would be 43.9 million bushels, more than 2.5 times the 2010 production of 16.5 million bushels.
Acreage expected to be harvested for grain is 720,000, more than double the harvested acres in 2010. As of July 3, 75 percent of the wheat acres were harvested, compared to 82 percent last year and the five-year average of 70 percent.

With the release of USDA’s June Grain Stocks and Acreage reports comes a fundamental shift in the corn market, suggesting that corn prices will come under considerable pressure, according to University of Illinois agricultural economist Darrel Good.

USDA reinstates farm labor survey
In July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will resume its Agricultural Labor Survey after the U.S. Department of Labor agreed to pay its costs. NASS suspended the survey in April due to budget constraints.

McKendree University
Chelsy Durbin of St. Elmo was named to the dean's list for the spring 2011 semester at McKendree University in Lebanon.

Durbin is the daughter of Charlie and Nancy Durbin of St. Elmo and is a 2008 graduate of St. Elmo High School.
To earn dean's list honors, McKendree students must have a grade-point average of at least 3.6 on a 4 scale.